Our dinners for Eddie

Now 78, Eddie has had a decade of serious health issues. Recently, he had some falls, a tough recovery from surgery and pneumonia — and lost more than 20 pounds off his already thin frame in less than six weeks. Despite her perpetual age of 39, we’ve started to notice that the role of caretaker has taken a toll on our mother. Two weeks ago, my sister, Sandy, drove to her house with a car full of groceries. She cooked enough meals to last at least two weeks, in an effort to give my mother a break from her 24-hour cooking, cleaning and caring schedule.

They loved it. As Eddie says, “It’s not like I travel now. The highlight of my day is hitting Walgreen’s. Food is all that I have to truly look forward to.”